"Peace in the Middle East can only happen when the world, and specifically Israel recognises, the injustice and offers the Palestinians the right of return, and their national right of an independent state."
Shadi Qashoa, USA

"Barak's victory proves that pandering to the extremists and playing on people's fears and prejudices are ultimately self-defeating."
LD Manners, India

In Kosovo, the bombing continued and the allies made one of their first serious military blunders when they mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Out of date CIA maps of the Yugoslav capital were apparently to blame.

Israel held elections, with Ehud Barak's Labour-dominated alliance winning a decisive victory over the hard-line government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Scotland and Wales also went to the polls - to elect members for a devolved parliament and national assembly respectively. Donald Dewar became First Minister in Scotland and Alun Michael First Secretary in Wales.

The British secret service was unwillingly put in the spotlight when Richard Tomlinson, a former MI6 officer published the names of 117 spies on the internet. Tomlinson fled to Switzerland but was later expelled.

Natural disasters again became a feature on the international news agenda when a storm swept across Pakistan, killing at least 700 people. In the US, a tornado in Oklahoma and Kansas killed 45 people and left thousands homeless. More than 200 people also drowned in Bangladesh when a ferry capsized.

In sport, it was a month when English football history was made. Manchester United, not content with winning the Premiership title for the fifth time in seven years, also won the FA Cup and, for an unprecedented treble, the European Cup.

The English national cricket and rugby union teams had a miserable month. The cricket team crashed out of the World Cup, being held in England, after losing to India.

The brilliance of my victory is tinged, a wee bit, with sorrow - sorrow in that I am not standing before you as a member of a party in which I was virtually born and brought up.

Labour rebel Denis Canavan after becoming a Scottish parliamentarian

Rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio resigned after he was accused by a newspaper of taking and dealing drugs. He was later cleared.

Leicester won rugby union's Premiership, beating defending champions Newcastle in the last game of the season.

There was also good news for Scotsman Stephen Hendry who claimed the title of the world's greatest snooker player after winning the Embassy World Snooker Championship for a record seventh time.

The movie world said its goodbyes to two English actors: Dirk Bogarde, perhaps Britain's leading romantic actor of the 1950s, and Oliver Reed, so long known as the bad boy of film and theatre.